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The inner word

10 Aug 2014 - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

An attention- getting tool in a disorderly classroom is to whisper. When your world gets chaotic, do you listen for the “tiny whispering sound” Elijah heard? Does the contrast stop you in your tracks and make you wonder? As a follower of Christ, you are a member of a holy people responsible for paying attention to the “whisper” of truth, justice, kindness, and peace. Do you doubt? Do you suffer? Are you afraid? In life’s disruptions, do you pay attention to the calm or the storm? Peace is yours, through Christ the Lord.

Peace Elijah Quiet

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Sign & sacrament

30 Dec 2012 - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle C

Waiting patiently is not a talent many of us have. Our tendency is to fill the waiting with all kinds of things to help us forget that we are waiting. Sometimes activity is good, but it can also be a distraction that keeps us from being present to God. When you find yourself in a situation calling for you to wait, consider embracing this quiet, sometimes uncomfortable space. The saying of Catholic sisters, “She also serves who sits and waits,” reminds us that patient waiting can be a gift to our spirit and others.

waiting Quiet

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Homily stories

27 Jul 2014 - Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

AS THE LONG DAYS OF SUMMER stretch out before us, do yourself a favor and spend time on a beach—a quiet beach, a beach made for long walks and deep thoughts. If you give yourself the rare treat of sun, sand, and solitude, you will eventually uncover treasures buried deep within you. But be sure to heed this advice from Anne Morrow Lindbergh writing in Gift from the Sea: “The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach—waiting for a gift from the sea.” So slow down and let go of the jumbled mix that makes up a modern life. Let the world drift by. Do nothing beyond soaking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the beach. Then, like a pristine seashell that grabs your attention, you will stumble upon pearls of divine wisdom, and you will see the way ahead with perfect clarity.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

Wisdom Quiet solitude

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Homily stories

26 Feb 2012 - First Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

A FRIEND of mine is a Trappistine nun who spends a good part of each day in silent prayer. She once told me the hardest adjustment she faced when entering the monastery was realizing how much "noise" was going on inside her heart and head--especially at times of silent prayer. That was helpful to hear. I thought it was just me who had such a difficult time quieting down for prayer. When I set aside time for quiet prayer my brain quickly generates thoughts and fears, desires and anxieties, inner turmoil and random troubling emotions. Maybe that's what Jesus experienced when he went out to the desert. Today's gospel tells how he went out into the desert and encountered wild beasts. Because he was like us in all things but sin, those wild beasts might simply have been the very human array of wild emotions, notions, and passions roiling within him. The good news is that the gospel says he was also ministered to by angels. The same can be true for us. This Lent as you take up new practices of prayer, don't be discouraged if the first thing you find in the silence is a noisy self. Continue patiently, trusting that you will, in due time, encounter the angels of peace, serenity, surrender, and love to comfort you and guide you past the wild beasts and into the presence of God.

Authors Tom McGrath

silence Prayer Quiet

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The inner word

13 Aug 2017 - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

God often speaks to us in quiet ways, like the whisper Elijah heard. When has God spoken to you in a whisper? Do you have quiet space and time in your life to hear a whisper? Paul is saddened by the fact that the good news is rejected by so many of his own people. When have you met rejection in your efforts to preach the gospel to people you thought would be receptive to it? How have you responded? Peter sinks in the water when he allows his fear to overwhelm him. When have you felt overwhelmed by fear? Can you think of instances when Jesus kept you from drowning in your own fear?

Quiet fear

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Homily stories

07 Aug 2022 - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

The whole day, even before sunup, his son was chattering away. They were on their first fishing trip together and his son was excited. It soon became clear that the boy hadn't had much experience being quiet. Most of his activities—even at home alone in his room—involved noise. His video games were all noisy, his music was always on, at school the work was often done in groups, and his basketball team was one noisy bunch. And so the boy found it hard to be quiet. All the way in the car he chattered and asked questions. When they got to the lake other fishermen gave him the evil eye and paddled their boats away from the father and son team as fast as they were able. The whole day was one comment or question after another. The father was not surprised when they arrived home and the boy continued his non-stop narrative, but this time he was filling his mother in on all that he had seen and heard. "It's so quiet up there, Mom, and you can hear the birds singing and the bees buzzing and deer came right up to the shore and drank from the lake and we saw a hawk overhead and a fallen tree is a good place to catch bass and some fishermen don't catch and release but we did and it's important to be real quiet so you can pay attention to where the fish might be.” So, the lesson had been learned after all; all he needed was a bit more practice.

Authors Tom McGrath

Quiet

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